Transition

Last week I left Mike on Ko Phi Phi and headed for Budapest. I departed in my shorts, t-shirt and sandals, sweaty from the intense heat and humitidy. Descending into Hungary I was writing intensly to catch up in my journal. I paused for a moment to look out the window and suffered some minor shock - the landscape was a beautiful vast plain of farmland covered in a soft blanket of snow. SNOW! I was feeling a little ill from all the flying and adjusting to the severe cold definitely took a toll on my body. However, this was no matter, because on the other side my lover was waiting for me. Seeing Michelle has been wonderful. She has set up a nice life for herself the past several months in Budapest and it is incredible having her as a guide to show me around. Budapest is a beautiful city. The architecture is commanding and awe-inspiring - a mix of neo-classical, gothic and baroque styles. It's been nice meeting Michelle's new friends, but the best moments are the ones we have alone sharing a meal or laying in bed sharing stories from our amazing experiences that have occured the past two months. Michelle had a midterm last thursday and directed me to a bath house near her school to relax while she was hard at work. It was an outdoor facility in the courtyard of a beautiful classical yellow building. The scene was great: crowds of Hungarians chatting in circles in the gigantic pools of steaming water that bubble up from the fault line that runs underneath Budapest, the old men congregated in corners playing intense games of chess. Towards the end of my time there it began to snow, completing my Hungarian bath house experience. That night we departed on a plane for Athens, Greece. People warned us that Athens was not too nice of a city, but Michelle and I thought otherwise. We had a great time exploring the streets and the views from the acropolis. Our second evening there we left from the port just outside the city for Paros Island, where we arrived last night and where I currently sit inside a nook of the House Bar plugging away at the interet. Our hotel is a charming little place with a courtyard that our rooms porch exits onto. The port city on Paros is stunning: lined with cobblestone alleys that maze between white stucco mediterranian-stye buildings sandwiched between the sea and the rolling green mountains of the island's interior. Unfortunately, it's been raining hard most of the day and our exploration of the island has been rather limited. But I have nothing to complain about. Travelling with Michelle is wonderful. 'Nough said.